The peasant rebel army opened a gap here at Wang Pu, but the number of people crossing the river was more than 200,000. As long as other troops of the Ming army arrived in time, it would be impossible to completely annihilate the peasant rebel army, but most of them could be left behind.

.But what are the other Ming armies doing in the encirclement?

Robbery! Brazen robbery!

Gao Yingxiang's false surrender was so successful that most of the Ming army thought that all the peasant rebel armies had really surrendered, and the battle to annihilate the Shaanxi bandits was basically over.

Therefore, in addition to the feeling of success and fame, these Ming soldiers also felt a deep sense of loss. Because they would never be able to make a lot of money from war in the future.

For this reason, with the mentality of getting the last vote, Cao Wenzhao, Zuo Liangyu and other troops first sent out soldiers in twos and threes to rob nearby areas, and then middle and low-level military attachés led the team. In the end, even Cao Wenzhao

Zhao, Zuo Liangyu and others felt that the peasants' rebellion against the army might lead to a false surrender plan, but they could not control the army.

If his soldiers were not allowed to plunder, the people would be dispersed immediately, and the team would definitely be difficult to lead. So with the tacit approval of these generals, the Ming army marked out their respective plots of land and marched towards the people in the plots.

He went on a robbery spree.

This is no longer just scratching the ground, because these Ming army soldiers are more ferocious than the bandits and peasant rebel armies. The bandits and peasant rebel armies only rob property and rarely hurt people. But these Ming army soldiers only need to see people who don't like them.

, he immediately beheaded him, killing a good person and taking credit. The nearby area was in a state of misery.

However, Cao Wenzhao, Zuo Liangyu and other generals also have a sense of proportion. As long as they belong to officials, they still dare not touch them. However, the wealth of the people is basically concentrated in the hands of those officials, so if you want to get higher

If the harvest is huge, then the robbery of the people will become even more crazy.

So when the peasant rebel army broke through the gap of Wang Pu's troops and crossed the Yellow River on the ice, Cao Wenzhao, Zuo Liangyu and other generals were unable to gather their troops for a moment. When they finally gathered their troops to pursue them,

All the peasant rebel armies had already crossed the Yellow River.

After receiving the imperial edict in late October, Henan Governor Xuanmo did not dare to neglect. On the one hand, he sent fast cavalry to alert the Henan troops stationed along the Yellow River. On the other hand, he immediately gathered the Henan troops near Kaifeng to support and strengthen the imperial edict.

Defense of the Yellow River.

However, Xuan Mo, the governor of Henan, had only taken office this spring, and the relations between the various military leaders in Henan had not yet been completely straightened out. Therefore, it took nearly ten days to negotiate and compromise on who to send troops.

Then coupled with the Ming Dynasty's backward communications and poor army mobilization, it was not until more than a month later, on November 27, that more than 3,000 troops were gathered to set off from Kaifeng.

And when the governor of Henan received an urgent report from the Yellow River on November 29, the troops sent to support him were only more than a hundred miles away from Kaifeng City.

The Henan Ming army defending the Yellow River defense line was even less prepared. They were also infected by the joyful atmosphere that the peasant rebel army was about to surrender. So when the peasant rebel army crossed the Yellow River, Yuan Daquan, an officer in the Henan River Defense Center, rushed to fight and was captured.

The peasant rebel army was killed. The main force of the rebel army broke through the natural barrier of the Yellow River in one fell swoop, leaving behind the heavy troops mobilized by the Ming government. From then on, the peasant rebel army galloped across a wider area of ​​land.

Henan is the heart of the Ming Empire. Militarily, it is the site of the Four Wars. The Ming government's defense here is relatively weak, and the civil and military officials have no experience in fighting against the rebels. Therefore, Xuanmo, the governor of Henan, mobilized garrisons from all over Henan to Kaifeng.

The city was concentrated, and on the other hand, it urgently requested help from the imperial court.

Facing the fierceness of the peasant rebel army, Henan Governor Xuanmo no longer dared to send troops rashly. He recalled more than 3,000 Ming troops who had already set out to Kaifeng City. He also gathered all the more than 11,000 Ming troops near Kaifeng to ensure

The large cities along the Yellow River were not lost, but other places had to leave their fate to fate until reinforcements from the imperial court arrived.

On December 1st and 3rd, the news that the peasant rebel army had crossed the Yellow River was sent to the court from the Supervisory Army and the Henan Governor's Yamen. Emperor Chongzhen was furious when he learned the news. But this time it was all the people who made the mistake.

He had heavily armed military attaches and supervisors sent out by the inner court. Therefore, under the persuasion of his chief minister Wen Tiren and Wang Chengen, Emperor Chongzhen temporarily suppressed his anger and ordered military generals from all over the country and local officials in Henan to perform meritorious service.

On the fourth day of December, Zhu Youjian issued an order: "Now that the thieves have crossed the river, all areas adjacent to the Henan border should be strictly guarded against sudden advances. Qin and Yun Zhun each selected soldiers to intercept and exterminate them, and the governors of Henan and Jin urgently supervised Zuo Liang.

Yu and others worked together to pursue the attack, and still gave strict orders to the officials in the prefectures and counties, and encouraged the local soldiers to try to block the defense. They must carry out raids on time, and if they let things slip again and cause trouble, they will not be lenient."

However, after the peasant rebel army crossed the river, they quickly got rid of the Ming army's pursuit with a commanding position and achieved a thousand-mile leap. In just one month, the rebel army's footprints covered almost all counties in western Henan, and then rushed to the border

Huguang, Anhui and Sichuan. For the Ming court, what was originally a local problem has since become a serious concern.

What is even more frightening is that as soon as the peasant rebel army arrived in Henan, it merged with the local poor farmers to form a surging torrent of rebellion. Due to the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th years of Chongzhen's reign, Henan suffered from severe droughts for several years, and the Ming government

Not only did they not provide relief, but they also "punished them and focused on supply." Therefore, the strength of the peasant rebel army, which had been joined by a large number of refugees, grew suddenly.

At this time, the peasant rebel army was also divided into two groups. One of them wanted to return to his hometown in Shaanxi. They were led by Hengxinglang, Yidougu, Sweeper King, Mantianxing, etc., with a total of eight battalions and more than 100,000 soldiers joining the army.

Pass, then Shanyang, Zhen'an, and Shangnan fell on the same day. Then went north to Luonan and advanced towards Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi.

This sudden counterattack shocked Hong Chengchou. He quickly called to Heyang, and the Hancheng garrison intercepted him. The peasant rebel army then turned south and captured Xunyang on the 15th day of the first lunar month of the seventh year of Chongzhen. After that, Ziyang, Ping

Li and Baihe were also captured one after another. When Hong Chengchou's army arrived, the peasant rebel army had already moved south to Sichuan.

The other group of peasant rebel troops was the main force. They included Gao Yingxiang, Li Zicheng, Ma Shouying, Zhang Xianzhong and others, and entered the Lushi Mountain area.

The terrain in the Lushi Mountains is very dangerous. There used to be a group of mining thieves in the area who had lost their land and were forced to defy the imperial ban and mine privately to make a living.

When the peasant rebel army arrived, the miners actively participated and acted as guides, leading the rebel army from the mountain path directly to the inner countryside, and then passed through Dengzhou and Xishui south to the Yunyang and Xiangyang areas of Huguang. December of the sixth year of Chongzhen

From the second half of the seventh year to the first month of the seventh year, the rebel army defeated Yunxi, Shangjin, Fangxian, and Baokang counties. It was like walking straight into an empty and uninhabited land.

It should be said that because of Wu Shigong's long conversation with Qin's father-in-law, Emperor Chongzhen did pay more attention to the dangers of the peasant rebel army breaking out of the encirclement and crossing the Yellow River. However, due to various reasons, history corrected Wu Shigong's influence and pulled the historical process back.

original track.

And when Wu Shigong learned the news from the Ministry of War on the second day of December, he immediately prepared to leave and rushed back to Runing to take charge of the overall situation.

When Wu Shigong goes back this time, he will only bring his own bodyguards and ride on horseback day and night. And his wife Xue Yufei will stay in the Xue Mansion to rest. The other wives and Wu Chengying will ride slowly in a carriage under the protection of the Xue Mansion guards.

Slowly rush back to Runing. Of course, Wu Shigong has not forgotten Father Carrera, and he will also travel with the ladies' motorcade.

The reason why these ladies are sent back to Runing is because Wu Shigong knows the safe period too well. Because sexual intercourse is not allowed during the filial piety period. But without sexual intercourse, how could Karelli and Manling get pregnant?

?

Of course, Wu Shigong didn't know there was such a rule. His father-in-law Xue Lian told him this. But since this is the case, it is better to send them to Runing, where the emperor is always far away. Send the two expecting mothers

If his wife stayed in the capital, it would always be a source of trouble for Wu Shigong.

The day before Wu Shigong left the capital, his father-in-law Xue Lian wrote more than forty letters to Wu Shigong. Those letters were letters of introduction written by Xue Lian to old friends and dignitaries of Nanjing. Xue Lian asked Wu Shigong to rely on these if he needed it.

I will write a letter of introduction to ask for help. As for whether those old friends and Nanjing dignitaries will sell off the face of Xue Lian, the fallen Marquis of Yangwu, I can only leave it to fate.

In the early morning of December 4th, Wu Shigong took more than a hundred guards and left the capital again as soon as the Desheng Gate opened. Half a day later, Wu Shigong submitted an official document from the Ministry of War and a private letter to Eunuch Qin.

Only then did the servants of the Xue Mansion deliver them to their respective locations. The reason for doing this was that Wu Shigong was afraid of being intercepted, which would delay his return to Runing.

But Wu Shigong was overly worried. In this difficult season, having a military attaché willing to take the initiative to go to the front line was a great thing that the court could only hope for. Which official would care about the trivial matter of whether he observes filial piety?

Wu Shigong still took the old road along the Grand Canal and back to Runing through Guide. Although it was a long detour, after all, Wu Shigong had too few people with him. Not to mention the possibility of encountering the peasant rebel army, he just encountered

There are some big gangsters and refugees, people like Wu Shigong, who may be in danger.

Wu Shigong hurriedly wanted to return to Runing to take charge of the overall situation, but the Runing army had already started acting according to the planned plan.

On November 30, after receiving urgent reports from secret posts along the Yellow River, the Runing Army began to mobilize. Xue Yongli, who was in charge of military operations, finally led the troops for the first time.

Xue Yongli ordered Zhou Xun to stay behind, and he took Zhang Biao's cavalry regiment with more than 1,300 people (the horses purchased by Wu Shigong in the capital had not yet arrived), plus more than 800 cavalry from other troops in the headquarters, on the 12th

Set off first on the third day of the lunar month.

Li Sanhe led the teaching regiment, followed closely by the direct artillery regiment and the directly affiliated engineering regiment with a total of 4,600 people (lack of cavalry battalion). They will join Hefei's Nanyang Army of more than 2,800 people (the rest of the Nanyang Army) in Nanyang

The soldiers stayed behind under the leadership of Shu Mo), rushed out of their defense area, and took the initiative to attack the peasant rebel army.
Chapter completed!